New owner checklist
Moving In
Welcome home to Gran Paradiso.
Here’s a simple checklist for your first days as an owner: set up your utilities, make your first trip through the gate, and stop by the HOA office in the clubhouse.
Step 1
Set up your utilities
Here’s who provides each service at home and how to reach them.
Electric
FPL (Florida Power & Light)
Start your electric service online or by phone.
Water & sewer
North Port Utilities (City of North Port)
This is the only utility that needs paperwork from your closing, so have your closing documents ready.
The city asks for proof of ownership, such as your deed or HUD statement, within ten calendar days of closing.
Trash & recycling
City of North Port (Solid Waste)
Nothing to set up. Trash and recycling are billed with your property taxes.
To change the size of your recycling container, call the City of North Port.
Cable & internet
Hotwire Communications
Set up your cable TV and internet with Hotwire.
US Mail
Your Mail
Here’s how to get your mail flowing at your new Gran Paradiso home:
Get the mailbox keys at closing. I ask every seller to leave the mailbox keys and any spares, so make sure you get them along with the house keys.
No keys? It depends on who maintains the mailbox. If USPS owns and maintains it, contact your local Post Office; USPS changes the lock for each new resident and doesn’t charge for that first lock and keys. If it’s privately owned, the owner or manager handles locks and keys, and USPS can’t help.
Keep a spare. USPS doesn’t keep duplicate keys for the mailboxes it maintains. If you lose every key, you’ll pay for a new lock based on local costs, so it’s worth having a copy made.
Forward your old mail here. File your change of address at moversguide.usps.com, and about 5 business days before your start date, USPS mails a Welcome Kit to your new address. Keep the 16-digit confirmation code inside, because you’ll need it to change or cancel your forwarding online.
Sign up for Informed Delivery. It’s a free daily email with pictures of the letter-size mail headed your way, plus tracking for your packages. You’ll set up a USPS.com account and verify your identity and address.
Step 2
Your first trip through the gate
After closing, show your closing documents at the gate to get in the first time.
Step 3
Visit the HOA office in the Clubhouse
The HOA office is in the Gran Paradiso clubhouse. Stop by to get set up as a new owner.
At the office you can:
- Pick up your passes
- Schedule your new owner orientation
- Get transponders for gate access
- Get app access
- Get your user ID and password for the community portal
- Set up monthly dues billing
Important
Read the Rules & Regulations
The rules and regulations are the most often misunderstood part of living in an HOA, so please take the time to read them. Find them in the community portal.
Have a question about a rule? Ask Eric.
New to the area
Moving from out of the area? We’ve got you covered.
Eric is a Gulf Coast Florida native. Check out the Location is Everything page for everything close by and throughout the state. Eric has put together a list of everything you could want, and more. You’ll also find a list of favorite restaurants he and Ali love. That’s one of the best things about Venice and Sarasota County: the restaurant selection is top shelf, with very few chains.
New to Florida
New to Florida? Get settled.
Moving here full time? Here’s the usual order for getting set up as a Florida resident.
Step 1: Get your Florida driver license within 30 days
New residents need a Florida driver license within 30 days of establishing residency. Apply in person at a Sarasota County Tax Collector office, by appointment. Bring your out-of-state license (you’ll surrender it) and printed, physical documents. The two offices closest to the main gate:
North Port About 11 mi · 20 min from the main gate
North Port City Hall, 4970 City Hall Blvd., North Port 34286 · Mon–Fri 8:30–4:30
Appointment required. Some transactions are finished offsite and mailed to you.
Venice About 3.7 mi · 7 min from the main gate
Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41), Venice 34293 · Mon–Fri 8:30–4:30
Appointment recommended.
Step 2: Get Florida auto insurance, then title and register your vehicle within 10 days
First, insure your vehicle with a company licensed in Florida. Then title and register it at the Tax Collector within 10 days of establishing residency. Bring photo ID for all owners, your out-of-state title and proof of Florida insurance; the VIN also has to be verified.
If you don’t have a Florida plate to transfer, there’s a $225 initial registration fee, paid in person when you title the vehicle.
Step 3: Register to vote
Register online, at the Tax Collector when you get your license, or with the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections. Your voter registration also counts as proof of residency for homestead.
Step 4: Optional Record a Declaration of Domicile
A sworn statement that you’re a Florida resident, recorded with the Sarasota County Clerk of Court. It isn’t a homestead application, but a recorded declaration is one of the residency proofs the Property Appraiser accepts.
Step 5: File for your homestead exemption
File with the Sarasota County Property Appraiser. The home must be your permanent residence on January 1, and you file by March 1 of that year. If you file online, allow about 30 days after closing for the deed to show in your name.
- Up to $50,000 homestead exemption.
- Save Our Homes cap: starting the year after your homestead first applies, your assessed value can rise by no more than 3% or the change in the CPI, whichever is lower, each year.
- Portability: coming from another Florida homestead? You may be able to carry over up to $500,000 of your Save Our Homes benefit. File form DR-501T with your homestead application.
General information; please confirm with each office.
Details can change, so please confirm with each provider and the HOA office.
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